Leonel Gomez

Leonel Gomez first gained attention with his version of the traditional ballad 'Namoro de corvo' in 2017. The recording found an audience online, and his delivery felt direct enough that people kept listening. He'd been singing since he was young in Tepotzotlán, Mexico, where he heard plenty of folk music and boleros.

He moved to Mexico City in his early twenties and started playing small venues. His first album, 'Por el Amor de Ella,' came out in 2014. It mixed traditional material with his own songs, like 'El Bocal' and 'Ladrão De Vaca,' which showed he was working out his own approach to the forms he grew up with.

After 'Namoro de corvo' took off, he released a second album called 'De Corazón a Corazón' in 2019. Some listeners questioned his interpretation of the traditional ballad, but he kept performing it and other songs like 'Alma de Bolicheiro' with the same unadorned style.